Less Than a Third of UK Motorists Would Choose a Driverless Car

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A survey of UK drivers has found that only 27% would choose a self-driving car over their current car.

One of Google's self-driving cars

The vast majority of UK motorists are simply not convinced with the prospect of self-driving cars, and would understandably have reservations about trusting them with their family’s health and wellbeing.

(PRWEB UK)8 July 2015

With car manufacturers and companies like Google currently hard at work on perfecting self-driving cars, a new survey suggests they have a lot of work to do to convince motorists of their safety.

The survey, conducted by insurance experts Bobatoo.co.uk, polled 911 UK motorists and found that only a quarter (25.8%) of them are ‘Excited’ about the prospect of self-driving cars taking to UK roads.

The majority of respondents are either ‘Not bothered’ or ‘Concerned’ about driverless cars, and for those that are concerned the issue is well and truly about safety.

Many respondents feel that they can’t trust self-driving cars to keep them safe, with the risk of malfunction a common concern.

One respondent managed to sum up the feelings of those who are concerned about self-driving cars, saying:

“Given how often computers go wrong I am concerned that something controlling a car (which is a lethal weapon) could go wrong. I’d want to know how they plan to have it fail safely.”

This concern means that less than a third of UK motorists would choose a self-driving car over their current car.

Just 27.7% answered that they would prefer to have a driverless car. Almost half of UK drivers (48%) said they definitely would not choose a self-driving car over their current car, and the remaining 24.3% are still not sure.

Revealing the results of the survey, a spokesman for Bobatoo.co.uk said:

“It is clear from these findings that vehicle manufacturers still have a long way to go to convince UK drivers that self-driving cars are a safe and viable alternative to current ‘manual’ cars.

“The vast majority of UK motorists are simply not convinced with the prospect of self-driving cars, and would understandably have reservations about trusting them with their family’s health and wellbeing.”